“Every Centimeter of Jerusalem is Arab, Islamic” Says PA Mufti

Every floor, remnant and centimeter of the city of Jerusalem “attest to the fact that it is an Arab and Islamic city,” said Palestinian mufti Sheik Mohammed Hussein on Sunday.

Speaking at an event commemorating the 47th anniversary of a fire at the Al Aqsa Mosque, located on the Temple Mount, Hussein said that the Palestinian people and citizens of Jerusalem had to protect the mosque using “whatever means possible,” Arutz 7reported on Monday.

Hussein accused the Jewish people of trying to turn Jerusalem into its eternal capital (which it already is), erasing all Arab and Islamic culture from the city.

“It is not just Al-Aqsa and its domes which reflect the Islamic nature of the city, but each floor of the holy city, every remnant of the city, and every centimeter attest to the fact that it is an Arab and Islamic city, whose roots lie deep in history and culture,” proclaimed the mufti.

His words held special irony considering the fact that the Jordanian Waqf, which controls the Temple Mount, is known to systematically remove any and all evidence of the ancient Jewish presence on the site where two Jewish temples stood over two thousand years ago.

Hussein insisted that the sacrifices of the Palestinian people were proof that they would never give up on the mosque, nor other Islamic holy sites, likely referring to the number of Palestinian terrorists who have died attacking Jews in attempts to martyr themselves for Al Aqsa.

Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal addressed the gathering with a taped speech in which he announced, “The Palestinian people will place their finger on the trigger, and are preparing for the liberation of Palestine, Jerusalem and the Al Aqsa Mosque.”

It is a popular fiction in the Arab narrative that Israel is attempting to change the “status quo” on the Temple Mount. According to the current status quo, which is strictly enforced by Muslim and Israeli security alike, only Muslims are allowed to pray freely in the compound. Jewish and Christian pilgrims, whose visiting hours to the Mount are severely restricted, are often banished from the site if they are caught even mumbling a semblance of prayer.

While Israeli leadership has repeatedly insisted that it has no desire or intention to change the status quo, the imaginary threat has motivated dozens of Palestinian and Arab terrorists to commit acts of violence and murder against innocent Jews and Israelis over the past year.

Riots on the Mount are common, with Arab groups attacking tourists or non-Muslim visitors both verbally and physically.

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About the Author

Abra Forman is the Editor of Breaking Israel News. A native New Yorker, she moved to Israel in 2011 after participating in the inspiring program Livnot and experiencing kibbutz life in the North. Abra completed a B.A. in English Literature at Binghamton University in 2009. After making aliyah, she studied Hebrew at Hadassah College and then earned a Master's degree, also in English Literature, from Hebrew University in Jerusalem, where she has lived for four years. She can be reached by email.